Tiramisu

The name of the famous layered Italian dessert "Tiramisu" means "pull me up" in Italian and this effect is probably because of the two ingredients - strong espresso and cocoa powder. It does not have a very long history - according to different sources it was invented in the second half of the twentieth century.  In spite of being so "young", it has become a classics and could be ordered in many restaurants outside Italy. 

The original recipe includes raw egg yolks and whites, but there are some variations  concerning the amount of eggs or substituting the eggs with Zabaion or cream.

The type of added alcohol also varies - it could be the Sicilian Marsala wine, different types of brandy of liquor. I use Cointreau because I love its sweet orange flavor.

Ingredients:

• 18 oz (500 g) Mascarpone cheese
• 24 Ladyfingers Savoiardi (1 pack)
• 5.5 oz (150 g) sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups of unsweetened filter coffee
• 2 oz(50 g) liquor or brandy of choice (I used liquor Cointreau)
• powdered unsweetened cocoa

Preparation:

Cream: Beat the egg yolks together with the sugar for 5 minutes until smooth. 

Add the cheese and continue beating until obtaining a frothy mixture. Beat the egg whites until white and add them carefully to the mixture. Mix the ingredients with a spatula. 

When choosing the baking dish you should bear in mind that the final cake will have three layers of cream and two layers of ladyfingers. So it should be at least 5 cm high. 

Soaking the Ladyfingers: Prepare the filter coffee and put it in a dish to get cold. 
After having the coffee at room temperature, add the liquor. 
Soak the ladyfinger in the coffee one after another for a very short time (just turn them on both sides in the coffee-liquor mixture, otherwise they will tear up in pieces). 

Assembling the cake: 
Line the dipped ladyfingers onto the bottom of the tray and top with a layer of cream, spreading evenly with a spatula. Add another layer of ladyfingers and cream. 
Sprinkle the powdered cocoa through a sieve over the cake. 

Cover with foil in order not to absorb other smells and put in refrigerator.

It needs at least a couple of hours there, but it is best when prepared one day in advance.